Sir Keir Starmer faced a major rebellion on Wednesday as 56 Labour MPs voted for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war, defying the party leadership. Ten frontbenchers resigned their posts to support the SNP motion, including shadow ministers Jess Phillips, Afzal Khan, and Yasmin Qureshi.
Announcing her resignation as shadow domestic violence minister, Ms Phillips said she was voting with 'my constituents, my head, and my heart'. She added: 'I can see no route where the current military action does anything but put at risk the hope of peace and security for anyone in the region now and in the future.'
Sir Keir had previously indicated that frontbenchers backing the ceasefire call would be sacked. In a statement after the vote, he said: 'I regret that some colleagues felt unable to support the position tonight. But I wanted to be clear about where I stood, and where I will stand.' He reiterated Israel's right to self-defence following the Hamas attack on 7 October, which killed 1,200 people.
The SNP amendment, which called for an end to the 'collective punishment of the Palestinian people' and an immediate ceasefire, was defeated by 125 votes to 294. Labour rebels joined other opposition parties in support, while Conservatives opposed it.
Labour MP Stella Creasy, who voted for the ceasefire, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Nobody is under any illusions that a single vote in the UK parliament is going to change the situation on the ground, but advocating for a ceasefire is far better than the alternative of being silent.'
The vote took place amid pro-Palestinian demonstrations outside Parliament, with protesters chanting 'ceasefire now'. The UK has seen a series of large protests, including an estimated 300,000 people at a rally over the weekend, the largest since the conflict began.
